Post by ntellier85 on Jan 30, 2012 22:58:08 GMT -5

While I enjoyed garden's video at the beginning, as usual with Phish songs for me I got tired of it after 3min and had to stop it.

I can't believe I'm about to admit this Jess but you may have just sold me with the Tweezer video. *gulp* In my defense I have had a few cocktails tonight but that was pretty freakin cool, and in the right mindset I can see myself really diggin that on the farm.

HOWEVER, I still know that at least 50% of the set I am going to be completely bored and hating my life, but that song was good.

Sighhh..................FINE...............I'll sit through the Phish set this year!

Post by wolfmanjess on Jan 30, 2012 23:00:49 GMT -5

While I enjoyed garden's video at the beginning, as usual with Phish songs for me I got tired of it after 3min and had to stop it.

I can't believe I'm about to admit this Jess but you may have just sold me with the Tweezer video. *gulp* In my defense I have had a few cocktails tonight but that was pretty freakin cool, and in the right mindset I can see myself really diggin that on the farm.

HOWEVER, I still know that at least 50% of the set I am going to be completely bored and hating my life, but that song was good.

Sighhh..................FINE...............I'll sit through the Phish set this year!

Live it is different they are all about tension and release, and that takes a minute to get used to. There are not many bands out there that will make you uncomfortable on purpose so that they can make you feel better a few minutes later. Glad you liked tweeprise though, always an amazing way to end a show.

Post by Hakuna on Jan 30, 2012 23:12:13 GMT -5

Really enjoying this thread. Last year WSP's show basically completely changed me into a 'jam band' guy. Since then Phish has probably been my most listened to band, by far. However, I still feel like I'm not listening to the "right" stuff. Accessibility had been the main issue, but now with Spotify it's a non issue, I'm actually quite overwhelmed. I guess what I'm getting at is, any essential listening ideas would be greatly appreciated. Phish was my number 1 wish for Roo and I want to be able to appreciate it as much as possible.Thanks!

Post by wolfmanjess on Jan 30, 2012 23:17:09 GMT -5

So through several posts I am going to try and narrate the last show I went to. All these videos are proshot and have great sound. This is from MSG 12.28.11

First off we have Free, it is off of Billy Breathes and a nice song, a little on the mellow side for a show starter for me, but fun nonetheless. I always loved the first line "I am floating in the blimp a lot"

Next we have Glide, this qualifies a huge bust out, it has only been played 7 times since 2000. The Wordplay is great between the words Glide, Arrive, and Alive. It is a short song and a great example of Silly Phish, plus it is a great way to greet your audience.

Next was Possum, they play this song A LOT still it is a rocking song, and the line "There aint't no truth in action unless you mean it anyway" is the only line Icculus ever gets. The rest of the song is about a Possum or Opossum trying unsucessfully to cross the road. Still it is a great song. this is the only one dude left off his list so I am going to substitute another version it is always pretty much the same anyway.

Next was Cities a Talking Heads cover they play pretty often. Not jammed out, but it was a lot of fun for me to hear in NYC.

Post by NotMitchelBade on Jan 30, 2012 23:29:42 GMT -5

I have to say, I'm not big into jamming in any way. However, given we're going to get some jammy act, they are definitely my pick. I really respect their musicianship and regret not checking them out a few years back. I'm going to make a concerted effort to go this time around. Thanks for putting all this out here. I'm going to listen to some of the songs you listed above and give them a chance. First ever Friday (I think) from me too.

Post by CMPMGCTRCKS on Jan 30, 2012 23:30:00 GMT -5

Really enjoying this thread. Last year WSP's show basically completely changed me into a 'jam band' guy. Since then Phish has probably been my most listened to band, by far. However, I still feel like I'm not listening to the "right" stuff. Accessibility had been the main issue, but now with Spotify it's a non issue, I'm actually quite overwhelmed. I guess what I'm getting at is, any essential listening ideas would be greatly appreciated. Phish was my number 1 wish for Roo and I want to be able to appreciate it as much as possible.Thanks!

One of my favorite shows (Definitely the one that most often makes non-phans visiting go "Wait, who are we listening too? Phish? Really? I like this...!") is LivePhish Vol.2.

Post by wolfmanjess on Jan 30, 2012 23:44:26 GMT -5

Alright part two, and it starts with another cover. A Skynard song this time The Ballad of Curtis Lowe being sung by Page (Keyboard Player) he sings a lot of good covers, I do prefer him singing Axis (Bold as Love) but hey this is not that bad.

Now we have Stash, this is a older song and certainly a Phish "Standard". Fun stuff, and in this case I think of the lyrics and singing as just another instrument, not really anything important. Though it is hard to work "The solar garlic starts to rot into lyrics.

Ahhh Contact, the very epitome of Silly Phish we got quite a bit of this first set, but the second had a lot of Evil Phish which helped make up for it. This is the Phish song you play for your six year old nephew. It has been on Sesame Street, and Car Talk over the years. Fun Lyrics, a good piano part, but a little slow. Not a lot of jamming, but it is always fun to wave your hands in the air and dance to this one.

Alright now we have Sample in a Jar, this song is off of Hoist, and always fun. Plus it actually has lyrics that kind of make sense.

Now we have the obligatory "new" song. Still Kill Devil Falls is in my opinion one of the two best off of the Joy the new album. Accessbile, pretty rocking and actual lyrics. Basically it is about a guy being left by his GF while out camping.

Ending set one, we got a Bathtub Gin, another silly song but they jammed this one out, and the Piano part is something to hear at 150 decibels. If they do play this at Bonnaroo remember when he says "We are all in this together" scream "And we love to take a bath" at the top of your lungs. If you get a little bored check out the lights at the end.

Post by wolfmanjess on Jan 31, 2012 0:17:48 GMT -5

Ok set 2. Typically the second set of Phish is going to be where the jamming is going to start to enter into it.

Opener was Birds of a Feather, this always a fun song, certainly Silly Phish went away at the set break, and now we are down for, what I consider to be the good stuff. This version is actually not that long, and no huge jams in it. However it pops up again later on a couple of times in some different songs.

Next up was Carini AKA "Lucy Had a Lumpy Head", this one clocked in at about nine minutes. Carini is now much harder Phish. Not really metal, but a lot harder than the casual listener thinks they get. A neat song about a bratty kid trying to have the drum tech fired. Read the link for the details. Now this had some Jamming, but they are tight these days and I never thought it got terrible. We are now getting into the Realm of Evil Phish, it always neat to see a band that can make you feel twenty different ways about them in one night.

Now we have Tweezer, this song is usually a jam vehicle, at 12 minutes this one is medium length, they will occasionally go upwards of 20 minutes. I think it came in as a great transition from Carini though. Weird, but oddly disturbing lyrics, either they are meaningless, or that strange poop is going down. "Step into the Freezer, please her with the tweezers" is an example.

My Friend, My Friend, now despite the bouncy little intro, this is a dark tune, certainly we are still in Evil Phish mode. It is not a long song, but a favorite, over the first two or three minutes it progresses darker, and darker. The lyrics are "My Friend, My Friend he's got a knife".

Post by wolfmanjess on Jan 31, 2012 1:01:58 GMT -5

So we are getting Rock and Roll for a second cover song. I love this tune, and the Velvet Underground. Certainly this is back to the tension and release aspect of a Phish show. From a dark discordant tune, we break into just pure wailing... well Rock and Roll, twelve minutes long, which is a good length to let them explore a little without it getting monotonous.

Now we have NICU, this is a fun song with "Play it Leo" shoutout. (This means the keyboardist does a crazy organ solo). NICU, is from one of the lines "And I see You" It was the older taper abbreviation when you got your tapes in the mail.

Bouncing Around the Room is up next. To people on tour in the mid nineties, this song was their Jeremy, not offensive but really overplayed. Great tune actually and my GF, who was at her first Phish concert enjoyed it.

Harry Hood, this is a much larger Jam Vehicle, and one of my favorites. It is a beautiful piece of music that goes on for about 13 minutes. A fun lightshow, and this song again is a great tension/release piece of music. There are elements of everything from lounge music to heavy metal. Also Birds pops back up for a quick tease.

Bug is my favorite of the Phish hold your girl slow songs. Also the lyrics are great. This is one of those songs I like but usually miss by one night so I was happy it popped up.

There've been times when I wonderAnd times when I don'tConcepts I'll ponderAnd concepts I won't ever seeGod isn't one of theseFormer or latterWhich did you think I meantIt doesn't matter to me

ENCORE

This particular version of Tube was crazy short, at only about three minutes. Still a fun song, and honestly not always my favorite jam. Good to hear it in NYC though so I could sing "Its so stupendous living in this tube" every time I got on the Subway the rest of the week.

Rocky Top!! My neighbors behind me knew I was from Tennessee at this point, he passed me some corn, and assured me that they only played this because I was there. I did feel a bit more welcomed in NYC at this point.

To close it out we had Tweeprise, and like I said on the first page, it is my favorite way to end a concert. Four minutes of Pure energy, then lights on, and they leave.

Post by Tom on Jan 31, 2012 2:38:17 GMT -5

I'm actually doing a complete 180 and hoping Phish gets a latenight set this year. That way I can force my group to at least check out some of it and if we love it we'll stay Sunday night and if we hate it I won't feel bad leaving early.

Post by eb122 on Jan 31, 2012 3:45:52 GMT -5

A live Phish show can turn just about anyone into a fan. The energy and vibe are amazing. They are one of the few bands that when you go to a show every single person in the crowd is dancing and moving to the music. Nothing like 15-20,000 people moving to the sounds together!! Combined with the tailgate madness and it is a party you have to enjoy. As for their Roo sets they always bring it. When they closed Roo in 09 it was one of the most amazing shows/experiences I have ever seen and this video I took says it all!! Glow stick War 2012 anyone?

Post by kaleidoscope kristen on Jan 31, 2012 4:07:21 GMT -5

I'm really, really excited at the prospect of seeing Phish this summer.

Did anyone have a preference over which set they preferred from '09 roo?

I'm partial to Friday night. We had a really great spot. We were having a ball and then something randomly crummy happened. But not even a few moments later I heard the notes to my favorite Phish song, Wading in the Velvet Sea, and everything was instantly better.

It was a really powerful moment. The vibe from the crowd was awesome. I can't wait to experience that again.

Post by mangopositive on Jan 31, 2012 6:04:20 GMT -5

My first show was Summer 97 and I'm currently at 35 shows total. You definitely get the songs you want to hear when you stop chasing them. That's when I got Forbins > Mockingbird, Tela, and Harpua (into "Killing In The Name Of") all in one show. And I get to (allegedly) see my other two favorite bands in the world, Radiohead and Umphrey's McGee the same weekend! And to think I thought I'd never go back to Bonnaroo.

Post by postjack on Jan 31, 2012 7:44:24 GMT -5

There are not many bands out there that will make you uncomfortable on purpose so that they can make you feel better a few minutes later. Glad you liked tweeprise though, always an amazing way to end a show.

well put. we must embrace the darkness and anxiety if we wish to understand the light and the joy.

great thread idea. i think any long time phish fan has given up trying to convert his or her friends to the band's music. i know i've failed way more then i've succeeded. but as usual i'm excited to see the musical open mindedness on this forum.

the fact is when i saw phish for the first time i was 18 years old and live music became my religion. i've seen good phish and i've seen bad phish, but to me phish will always be what live music is all about: the crazy flow of energy between the artist(s) and the crowd.

Post by dreamingtree on Jan 31, 2012 8:47:46 GMT -5

Thanks Jess!!

I am way more excited about Phish than I am about Radiohead.....

The last time Phish played Bonnaroo, I just had a huge grin on my face the whole time I took 2 non-fans with me to those shows and they are now fans, so I really hope the haters also give them a chance this year. Their live shows evoke such a great vibe and such happiness for me, I really have a hard time describing it. There are few bands out there that do that for me. And even though I am a huge fan, I use their "jam" time as a bathroom break Not a fan of 20 minute songs.....